Sustainable tomatoes from the greenhouse – Is this possible?

Should I rather buy tomatoes from Spain or the Swiss tomatoes from the greenhouse? Which tomatoes are more environmentally friendly? These and similar questions I have asked myself very often and I am sure many of you feel very similar. The “label jungle” in the supermarket is quite impenetrable. Is the production of food in a greenhouse always negative? How do I find out how sustainable a food is produced? 

As of today’s technology, I have to admit that there is no perfect solution to answer the question “How do I find out, if a food is produced sustainable or not?”. One currently very prominent idea is based on blockchain technology. Using a platform based on the blockchain technology, all information from farm-to-fork is stored decentral. The information on the blockchain platform can be accessed by producers, suppliers, as well as consumers. This technology not only leads to more transparency, but also to fast and secure transactions. For example, it is possible to see in real time on the platform how, which and when raw materials are processed. Furthermore, as a consumer, I can see on this blockchain platform where the raw material comes from and under which circumstances it was produced. Since this information cannot be changed once it is added to the blockchain, I can draw conclusions about the sustainability of a food product from this data. However, as you probably already guessed, it is quite complex to deduce the sustainability of a product from all this information. In the blockchain of a product you can find thousands of information. Therefore, as a “normal” person it is nearly impossible to conclude the sustainability of this product. That’s why it definitely requires a simplification of the information, that at the end every consumer can understand it.

Now we know, how we could conclude to the sustainability of a product (maybe) in the future. But until this solution is fully developed, I would like to explain you, why a greenhouse can be something good. In a greenhouse with the latest technologies there are certain conditions that promote optimal growth of a plant. As a result, on a smaller area, a higher yield can be obtained. In addition, with today’s technologies, irrigation can be reduced to the minimum. Plants are only irrigated when they really need water. Moreover the entire field is not simply irrigated, but individual plant perennials can be supplied with water. The closed atmosphere also prevents water from evaporating. With an irrigation system of the latest technology, up to 90% of the water demand on an open field can be saved. Not only can water be saved, but much less pesticides and fertilizers are used. Rain washes out pesticides and fertilizers in the open field and, in the worst case, they end up in the groundwater. Because of the leaching, higher doses must be used for sufficient efficacy than in greenhouses. Last but not least, I would like to mention that greenhouses can also be used to grow food in cities. As you all know, this is very well known under the term “Urban Gardenig”.

So, now we are done with the hymns of praise about greenhouses. Of course, greenhouses with the latest technologies are not the solution to all problems. Moreover, they do not look really attractive… However, greenhouses are a good complement to open farming. 

In conclusion, I can tell you that assessing the sustainability of food is very difficult and requires a lot of basic knowledge. Which greenhouses are equipped with the latest technologies and thus can produce sustainable tomatoes? And which tomatoes have been grown in open cropping but required a lot of pesticides and fertilizers? Which tomatoes are really more sustainable? A possible solution could be a transparent information system like the blockchain platform. However, in order to cope with this huge flow of information as a “normal” person, there is still some work to be done. In any case, I’m curious to see what happens next. If you have ideas or even solution to some of the questions, then leave a comment. I’m very curious to get to know, what you think 😊

Author: Tamara Schmid

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